Campbell Cameron: Celtic Connections 2013 – the 20th Anniversary

We have been looking forward to this week since the middle of February last year.

Celtic Connections will celebrate 20 years as a major cornerstone of Scotland’s cultural calendar with an amazing programme of the best in world music, befitting its status as one of the biggest festivals on the planet.

Artistic Director, Donald Shaw, takes the reins once more for the event which will celebrate the ethos and the artists that have seen the festival become that global phenomenon.

The small festival team gobsmack us each year by bringing the biggest names in folk, roots, world, traditional, indie, blues and jazz to perform all over Glasgow, beginning on Thursday 17th January with the celebration concert and concluding on 3rd February with the infamous Transatlantic sessions [2012 sessions shown above].

And finally …..Maggie Reilly and Sharon King – on Sunday 27th January, at The Tron Theatre.

Scottish fiddler extraordinaire, Duncan Chisholm, who was the first musician ever to perform at Celtic Connections in 1994 with his band Wolfstone, will be in attendance performing his spellbinding Strathglass Suite in the beautiful surroundings of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Along at the 02 ABC we will be blessed with Gaelic infused folk/rock band Mànran who will also be returning to this year’s festival alongside Irish folk band Kila.

Some of the world’s most exciting Americana, country and bluegrass talent is coming including Oklahoma’s JD McPherson, with his deceptively sophisticated songwriting raw, 50s style booty-shaking rockabillity of his music. JD will preview his festival appearance with a live chat on the Oban Fm Wednesday Drivetime on the 16th, between 5pm and 7pm. Join us here on Oban FM [or on 103.3 FM in North Argyll].

Connel’s finest, Joy Dunlop, brings her gold plated Mod winners Gaelic vocals to support Donnie Munro who was the main man with Runrig for so many years.

Tobermory singer songwriter Sorren Maclean, a key member of the cult band, Mull Historical Society, goes it alone in the New Voices programme at this year’s festival.

This, the 20th Celtic Connections festival will have a retrospective feel to it. It will be a look back over the years to celebrate the ethos and artists that have helped shape it.

The Opening Concert will bring together an array of artists who have delighted us throughout the last 20 years. As the January antidote to the post Christmas blues has grown, many of the artists have grown up with it. None, more so, than Duncan Chisholm who has developed from early Celtic rocker into composer of some of the finest classical folk music ever produced. Over the years the ever growing, ever-expanding and increasingly global network of musicians relationships have developed lasting bonds. They began in Glasgow and now rejoin around the world.

There are a few other things worth taking notice of involving young musicians from Argyll, the most well known and established band probably being Skerryvore, of Tiree, who are playing in the 02ABC on the 31st of January – sure to be a cracker. Staying with the islanders, two youngsters from Mull, Rona Wilkie and Sorren McLean have both won the commission to write and perform the New Voices project which is a hugely prestigious award to allow people to bring some of there own input and ideas to the world of traditional music. That will be held at the Mitchell Library on the 27th of January, a must see. Rona Wilkie, who is the Young Traditional Musician of the Year for 2012 will also be the subject of the winners recital during the final of this years competition on the 3rd of February, which will feature yet another Argyll musician as a contestant, Andrew Dunlop of Connel! There will be another opportunity to see Rona Perform at the Tron Theatre with duo partner Marit Falt on the 20th of January where they will be joined by a previous winner of the Young Trad competition, Anna Massie and her duo partner Maireread Green. Then, of course, Argyll piper of Carradale, Lorne McDougall, the piper recently featured in the new disney pixar film Brave, will be performing at the National Piping Centre on the 25th of January. These are all all hugely talented young musicians from Argyll, showing the depth of talent in our area. Lets give them some support! Add them on Facebook for gigs in your area.